updated 04:35 pm EST, Wed February 8, 2012

Sigma adds Merrill suffix to 46MP cameras

Sigma on Wednesday both remade and added to its camera lineup. First off, the company's new CEO, Kazuto Yamaki, revealed that the high-end SD1 DSLR will be renamed to SD1 Merrill and get a very significant price drop, from $9,700 to $3,300. Yamaki said the reduction is due to the lower production costs of the 46-megapixel APS-C sensor, though no performance compromises have been made.

Those who bought the camera for the original price will get access to a support program with points that can be exchanged for Sigma hardware as compensation.

The Merrill suffix, in honor of the late Foveon sensor tech inventor Dick Merrill, will also apply to the newly redesigned DP1 Merrill and DP2 Merrill large sensor compacts. They use the same 46-megapixel sensor from the SD1 Merrill, though the DP1 gets a 19mm f2.8 lens while the DP2 has a 30mm f2.8 lens. Either lens has FLD glass elements and the cameras get 920,000-pixel LCDs. The controls are redesigned as well. Pricing or shipping information for the pair hasn't yet been revealed.